Cup support and drain



Patented 'June 15, 1943 CUP SUPPORT AND DRAIN Ralph A. Nicholson, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Raymond T. Moloney, Chicago, lll.

Application October 27, 1941, Serial No. 416,645

9 Claims. (Cl. 225-21) This invention has as its principal object the provision of. a removable drain and cup stand for use in a coin-controlled beverage vending machine.

More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide a combination drain and cup rest and means for mounting the same with respect to cup dispensing and beverage dispensing means such that the device may be readily inserted in, and removed from, operative position.

1t is a further object to provide, in combination with a beverage vending machine having a cup dispenser, a beverage dispensing spigot, and a removable panel or wall section, a novel drain and cup rest in the preferred form of a metal canister having tongue and groove slidable mounting means at its sides, a perforate drain plate in its bottom, formations in a top wall portion to accommodate the cup dispenser and spigot, and means for shielding-the dispenser and spigot, the slidable mounting means being disposed so that the removable panel or wall section, when in place, secures the novel drain and rest structure in operative position.

It is a further'object to provide a drain structure of the class described which shall include means for guiding a cup from the dispenser into upright position on the drain to receive the liquid beverage discharged from the spigot.

Other objects, advantages, economies, and aspects of novelty in the new device reside in certain details of construction as well as in the cooperative combination of the device with parts of the vending machine, all of which will appear as the following description proceeds in view of means for mounting the main cup guide on the drain structure.

The novel drain structure is adapted for use vin a beverage vending machine such as shown in the Nicholson application S. N. 248,114, iiled December 28, 1938, now Patent No. 2,284,880, and which includes a cabinet or housing I provided, as in Fig. l herein, with a movable front panel il adapted to be displaced to expose certain parts of the vending mechanism including, for example,

a cup dispensing apparatus I2 of the preferred type shown in the Nihcolson application S. N. 402,264 iiled July 14, 1941, now Patent No. 2,278,013.

.The movable panel or wall section Il is preferably arranged to tilt outwardly of the cabinet, but is normally locked in closed position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A small glass delivery door I3 is mounted to slide vertically in a frame structure I4 attached to the movable panel II. A handle I5 is provided at the bottom of the glass door to facilitate raising the same for the purpose of permitting access by the customer to the cup rest to procure the beverage.

Ae best viewed in Figs. l and 3, the cup dispensing means includes a plurality of cup retaining magazines I movable automatically relative to a dispensing mechanism I1 adapted to cause expulsion of a cup I8 onto a main guide I9 upon deposit of the customers nickel. The details of this dispensing mechanism have no bearing upon the invention except generally as a means for delivering a cup onto the novel drain and cup rest. In passing, it may be observed that whenever one of the magazines I6 becomes empty, the next loaded magazine is automatically turned into position to deliver cups to the dispenser Ii.

The novel drain structure, as seen in Fig. 1, is in the general form of an open-sided canister or box including opposite side walls 20 each terminating at its foot in in-turned iianges 2i constituting rests for a drain grating 22, which may be removed and inserted at will.

The canister structure also includes a back wall 20a (Fig. 3) and a top wall 20h (Fig. 1). The side walls 20 are peculiarly shaped in that they each include an upward projection or wing 20c joined by a slanting cross web or plate 20d constituting a shield. v

In the top wall 20h (Fig. 1) there is provided an elongated opening 24 formed by cutting out a section of the metal and turning up the opposite edges of the cut to provide flanges 25, which assist in guiding the drain into position upon insertion.

The opening 24 provides a passage through which the cups drop onto the drain grating 22, and also accommodates a dispensing spigot 26 from which the beverage is automatically released in the cycle 0f operation of the machine as soon as the cup I 8 is positioned on the drain as aforesaid, and as shown in Fig. 3. The cup delivery chute I9 is so arranged as to guide the cup into upright position beneath the spigot 2B,

I pressed metal and has a pair of angled ears 19a (see detailed view Fig. 4) spot-welded onto opposite sides of the guide so that each projects over one of the upturned edge flanges 25 on the top ofthe canister. Collars lsb space these ears from the top of the canister, and nut and bolt means |90 secures the guide to the canister,

In normal operating position, the cabinet panel H is closed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and when` the cup has been automatically filled with the beverage, the customer seizes handle I5 and raises the glass delivery door to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, it being observed that in this operation the guide apron 21 moves upwardly with the door so that the now filled cup Il is exposed for removal.

While a machine such as that disclosed in the aforesaid copending application S. N. 248,114 very accurately measures out a predetermined volume of the beverage to be delivered from spigot 26 into the cup, there is bound to be a slight drippage of the small residue of this volume which tends to remain in the spigot line after each dispensing operation. Moreover, it is desired for obvious commercial reasons to fill the cup as close to the top as possible consistent with handling of the cup by the customer, and therefore there will be some spilling from time to time owing to carelessness and analogous causes. In addition, it frequently happens that the customer cannot consume the entire contents of the cup and hedesires to dispose of the residue. In

It will be apparent that there is an advantagev to having all ofthe parts which might require cleaning, such as the perforate drain and support and the main cup guide, as well as the canister itself, combined as a unit for ready application and removal, and to have the canister so constructed that it needs merely to be slid into and out of operative position, without necessity of moving any of the dispensing parts, while those parts are nevertheless shielded from view and ordinary access once the drain is in position. It is also advantageous to have the drain so constructed as to be secured in operative position by merely closing the cabinet panel.

While the preferred commercial form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is a condition of this disclosure that all fairly equivalent arrangement shall be understood to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

- I claim as my invention:

l. A combination drain and cup rest comprising a box-like structure having an open side wall, a grated bottom portion adapted to support a cup and provide for drainage of liquid therefrom, a

, to wall portion having an opening for a dispenssuch a case he may pour the remaining liquid Y onto the drain 22 and dispose of the empty cup through one of the two swinging ports 28, which lead into a refuse receptacle (not seen) .g A suitable canister, not shown, is removably positioned in the bottom of cabinet l0 beneath the drain grate 22 to receive liquid therefrom.

In order to servi'ce the cup dispenser and certain parts of the liquid dispensing mechanism including the spigot means 26 (and certain electric valve means 26a, Fig. l) it is desirable to remove the entire drain unit, and to this end the unit is mounted to slide horizontally into and out of operative position by means of a tongue and groove arrangement which includes a pair of supporting brackets 30 (Figs. 1 and 2) each having a horizontal rail or tongue portion 3| disposed to be slidably received in a groove or track formed by opposite flanges 32 on brackets similar to, but smaller than, the brackets 30 welded or Otherwise secured in pairs to both outer sidewalls 20 in the manner shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3, it will be observed that, the rear (right hand) wail 20a of the canister is stopped against a cross member 35 in the machine, while at the opposite side of the canister, the vertical edges of the sidewalls 20 are bent out to form reinforcing and stop flanges 20c, which confront inner surface parts of the movable panel and glass door structure.

When the movable cabinet wall section or panel Il is closed, the spigot and lower parts` of the cup dispenser are shielded from view by the cross web 20d, yet these parts are readily exposed to access when the canister is withdrawn.

ing spigot relative to which said cup is to be positioned, means including a cross web structure on'said box-like structure constituting a shield for said spigot, and tongue-and-groove ymeans mounting said box-like structure for horizontal sliding movement to dispose the same and said spigot opening in the top wall portion in operative position relative to said spigot, and means mounted on said structure beneath said opening in the top wall portion for guiding cups into position beneath said spigot on said bottom portion.

2. In a beverage vender including a cabinet having a wall portion adapted to be opened and closed, the combination of a drainand cup rest structure and means mounting the same for movement into and out of operative position in said cabinet behind said wall portion, the latter wall portion when in closed position being adapted to secure said drain and rest structure against removal from operative position.

3. In a beverage vender including a cabinet housing a cup and beverage dispensing mechanism and having a wall panel adapted to open and close relative to said mechanism, together with a door structure on said panel adapted to be opened and closed to permit limited access to the region of said dispensing mechanism for purposes of retrieving a beverage container dispensed by said mechanism, the combination of a drain structure in the form of a canister having a perforate bottom drain portion and mounted to slide in and out of said cabinet behind said panel and to be .secured against outward movement by the panel when the latter is closed, said canister having an open side accessible through said door, and means on said canister for guiding a cup from said dispensing mechanism into beverage receivxiig position on said perforate bottom drain por- 4. A combination drain and cup rest structure for mounting behind an access door in a beverage vender, said structure comprising a canister having an open side to face said door, a perforate bottom drain section, means removably mounting said drain section in the bottom of the canister, tongue-and-groove means mounting said canister for horizontal sliding movement into and out of operative position in said beverage vender opposite said access door, and means on said structure providing a shield across an upper portion.

of said open side of the canister structure and rection of said access door.

5. In a beverage vender including a cabinet to house dispensing means including a cup dispenser and a beverage spigot, an open-sided boxlike canister and means mounting the same for movement into and out of operative position beneath said spigot .and cup dispenser through a side wall opening in said cabinet, a side wall panel normally closing said opening and preventing removal of the canister, an access door in said panel leading into said canister through an open side portion thereof, a grating in the bottom of said canister upon which a cup is adapted to rest, and an arcuately curved downwardly inclined cup guide mounted on said canister and adapted to direct a cup from said cup dispenser onto said grating, and additional guide means on said access door opposite said first-mentioned guide and cooperable with the latter for effecting movement of a cup into upright position beneath said spigot when said access door and panel are closed.

6. In a device of the class described, the described box-like structure having an open vertical side, a removable bottom with perforate drain portions, a top wall with a cup and beverage pasmately upstanding cross-web adjacent said top wall and constituting a shield for said dispenser means when s'aid structure is in operative position.

9. In a beverage vending machine of the typewhich includes a cabinet having a wall opening and openable closure therefor, together with an access door in said closure and adapted-to move upwardly to expose a portion -of said opening, said machine further having beverage and cup dispensing means adjacent the exposed part of said opening, improvements comprising: a compartment member and means removably mounting the same in said cabinet for movement inwardly and outwardly of the latter through said wall opening, said closure blocking outward movement of the compartment member when closed; said compartment member having an open side wall portion opposite said access door; means providing a removable drain oor for said compartment member providing a support for cups from said cup dispensing means: means xed on said compartment member for guiding cups from said cup dispensing means onto said support to receive beverage from said beverage dispensing means; said compartment member having a top wall portion with openings for passage of cups and beverage therethrough; said access door having cup-guide means movable upwardly and downwardly therewith and cooperable with said mst-mentioned cup-guiding means when the door is lowered, said compartment member having an upwardly-projecting panel shielding said cup and beverage passage openings from the direction of said access door, said panel being spaced inwardly of said access door to permit vertical passage of the cup-guide means on the door.

RALPH A. NICHOLSON. 

